Flooring unit



Feb. 16, 1932. l H, H, BORTHWlCK 1,845,579

Filed Aug. 27, 1928 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD E. BORTHWICK, OF LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

FLOORING UNIT f Application led August 27, 1928. Serial No. 302,373.

This invention relates to iooring units,

` such as tile, and made, for example, of linosired. The cost of layin -having v thereof,

leum mix or rubber. It is customary to lay ooring of the composition tile type uslng composition'tile of regular geometrical pattern with separate interliners therebetween so as to give the desired variegated effect .to the floor, and to more closely resemble ceramic tile. Several disadvantages are attendant upon this feature. The laying 1s very expensive since the interliners are very thin and narrow and each one must be separately glued to the adjacent tile elements and to the floor. The cost of laying these interliners will add as much as twenty percent to theviloor cost. In addition tothis it is frequently dificult to properly match the several elements making up the floor, and the number of joints is very large, thus increasin the possibilities of water finding an imperfect joint and seeping through, to the detriment of the installation.

I provide a flooring unit comprising a bod lportion having an integral interliner. Thisv interliner may be made of the same color as the body` portion or of a contrasting color, depending on the character of the floor deis materially reduced and the number o joints is reduced to Aa minimum. Many desirable color eects may be obtained.

ing various embodiments of the invention,

Figure l is a top plan view of square tile full width interliners on two sides Figure 2 is a section 'taken on the line II--II of Figure 1 and indicating in dotted lines the position of adjacent tile,

Figure 3 is a View corresponding to Figyure 1 but showing half width interliners on all sides of the tile,

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a hexagonal tile, the position of adjacent tiles being indicated in dotted lines.

The tile shown in Figures l and 2 comprises a body 2 and interliner portions 3 integral therewith. The interliner extends having the surfaces of the body portions lying in a plane with'depressed interliners. Itl

will be noted that the line of juncture between adjacent tiles isv at the edge of the interliner and the joint is almost invisible.

may be made of varying colors and the interliners may be made of substantially the same color, thus breaking the monotony of the flooring.

The lowermost point of the concave face of the interliner is removed from the seam. This is of advantage because if any small amount of water should Abe left lying in the depressions it will have no opportunity to seep through beneath the tile units and attack the composition iooring from below. l

Figure 3 shows a modified tile, and Figure 4 shows it in conjunction with other tiles of the same character. In this form of the invention the interliner portion extendsall the way around each tile and has a Width corresponding to half the desired spacing beinterliner it 'is obscured because the high In the accompanying drawings illustrat-V lights appear along the edges of the depressed portions. In this case, as in the case of Figure 2. the tile units may be made of different colors. It may be desirable to make the body portions and the interliner portions of the If desired, the body portions in different tilessame color in `each tile, but to use tiles of varying shades, in laying a Hoor. .When this is done the interliners kappear as a neutral color which is not dominated by a shade of any one color due .to highlights on the edge of the depressed portions.

Figure 5 shows a tile of the same general character as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, except that it is hexagonal. yThe interliner 3b extends around three sides of the body portion 2b. In this form, and in-the form of Figure 1, it will be noted that the interliner extends between diagonally opposite corners of the body portion.

I have illustrated certain preferred forms part being adapted to abut the nezd'l adjacent of the invention. It will be understood howunit. ever that it is not limited to these forms, but In testimony whereof I have hereunto set may be otherwise embodied within the scope my hand. of ah, following claims: HAROLD H. BORTIIIWICK.v

c aim: 1. As a new article of manufacture, a flooring unit made of thermo-plastic material comprising a body in the form of a tile and having an integral edge portion depressed below the surface of the tile portion, the edge portion presenting a concave face simulating a depressed mortar oint.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a flooring unit made of thermo-plastic material comprising a body in the form of a tile and having an integral edge portion depressed below the surface of the tile portion, the edge portion presenting a concave face simulating 2 a depressed mortar joint, the edge portion being of al contrasting color from the body portion.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a flooring unit made of a thermo-plastic material and adapted to be laid up with like units so as to form a 'continuous floor surface, the unit comprising a body in the form of a tile and having an integral edge portion on certain sides only of the body, which integral edge 3 portions are depressed below the surface of the tile portions and simulate mortar joints, those sides of the tile portion which do not have said edge portions being arranged toy engage edge portions on adjacent units. 4. As a new article of manufacture, a fioor' ing unit made of a thermo-plastic material and adapted to be laid up with like units so as to form a continuous fioor surface, the unit comprising a body in the form of a tile and having an integral edge portion on certain sides only ofthe body, which integral edge portions are depressed below the surface of the tile portions and simulate mortar Y joints. those ysides of the tile portion which do not have said edge portions being Yarranged 1 10 to engage edge portions on adjacent units, the edge portions presenting concave faces.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a flooring unit made of a thermo-plastic material comprising a body in theform of a tile hav- 115 ing a plurality of sides and'integral edge portions on half of the sides, which edge portions are depressed below thesurface of the tile portion and simulate mortar joints, the other edges of the body portion being ar- 120 ranged to directly engage edge portions on adjacent tiles.

6. As a. new article of manufacture, a flooring unitvmade ofa thermo-plastic material comprising a body in the form of a tileV and 125 having an integral edge portion 'extending notmore than half way aroundthe perimeter of the' tile,- which edge portion is depressed at itsA center and' ifpstanding at points re- 55 mote from the tile portion, the upstanding 

